Rock-collecting machine.



A. G. BRAY.

ROCK COLLECTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1914.

1,126,695. I Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1 by I I .1

Attorneys Inventor- A. G. BRAY.

ROCK COLLECTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.'13, 1914.

Patented Fb. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Inventor Witnesses 4 Attorneys WASHINGTON. D. C-

ALVIN GREEN BRAY, or EATONTON, GEORGIA.

ROCK-COLLECTING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915 Application filed March 13, 1914. Serial No. 824,484.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALVIN G. BRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eatonton, in the county of Putnam and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Rock-Collecting Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for gathering loose rocks or large stones and conveying them to points of delivery, one of the objects of the invention being to provide a novel form of spring rake cooperating with a revoluble elevator whereby loose stones in the path of the machine will be lifted from the ground and deposited in a receptacle provided therefor and which is carried by the machine.

Another object is to provide an elevator the teeth of which will yield when brought against unyielding obstructions.

A further object is to provide improved means for removing the stones from the elevator and directing them into the receptacle.

A further object is to provide means whereby the rake and elevator will be held against separate movement relative to the frame of the machine while the said machine is in use, thus preventing the elevator and the rake from riding over stones which might otherwise be gathered.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings accompanying this specification the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion thereof, part of the supporting wheel being broken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on line AB Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on line CD Fig. 2, a portion of the supporting wheel being shown in elevation.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates an arched axle the lower terminals of which constitute bearings for alining shafts 2. Each of these shafts has a gear 3 secured to its inner end while a wheel 4 is mounted on the outer end of the shaft, any suitable connection such as a pawl and ratchet mechanism, indicated generally at 5, being provided, so that, when the wheels 4 are rotating in one direction they will rotate the shafts 2 but, when rotating in the opposite direction, will leave the shafts stationary. Thus it will be seen that the machine can be readily turned.

Side beams 6 are extended forwardly from the lower terminals of the arched axle l and are connected, at their forward ends, by a cross beam 7. Additional side beams 8 extend forwardly from the upper corners of the arched axle l and are connected to the front ends of the side beams 6 by posts 9 or the like. Any suitable housing, not shown, can be erected on the beams 6 and 8 and posts 9. A tongue 10 is extended forwardly from the middle portionof the cross beam 7 and an inclined brace 11 may be extended from-the center of the arched axle 1 downwardly and forwardly to the front portion of the tongue 10. Thus a rigid structure is produced. The front end of the tongue 10 is supported by the front or steering axle 12 having the usual supporting wheels 13, there being a draft tongue 14 connected to and extending forwardly from this axle. A cross bar connects the posts 9 atpoints above the beam 7, as shown at 14 and attached to the posts 9 below the bar 14 is a frame 15, the front end ofwhich is supported by the axle 12 while the intermediate portions of the sides of the frame are extended outwardly,- as at 16, so as to support fixed end gates 17. A receptacle or body 19 is tiltably mounted, at its center, on the tongue 10 and when this body is in a horizontal position, both of its ends are closed by the end gates 17. This body may be connected to the tongue in any suitable manner, as by means of hangers 20 embracing the tongue and for the purpose of holding the body in a horizontal position, a yoke 21 may be secured at its ends to cross bars 22 secured to the body near its ends. This yoke is concentric with the tongue 10 and extends over brace 11, there being a lug upon the brace adapted to be engaged by a pin 24 or the like extending from an arm 25 upstanding from the yoke 21. As long as pin 24 is in engagement with the lug 23, the body or receptacle 19 will be held in a horizontal position but, by

swinging the arm 25 so as to remove the pin 24 from lug 23, the body 19 can be caused to swing downwardly toward either side of the machine, thus lowering one end of the body below the adjacent end gate 17 and causing the contents of the body to gravitate from the body and under said end gate- By referring to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the body 19 is supported close to the posts 9 and that the inclined brace 11 supports a seat 26 to be occupied by the driver.

Pivotally mounted on the cross bar 14 near the end thereof is a V-shaped frame made up of upper and lower arms 27 and 28 respectively diverging rearwardly and connected, at intermediate points, by a cross strip29. The rear ends of the arms 27 and 28 are connected by cross bars 30 and 31 respectively and secured to these cross bars are arcuate spring fingers 32 the lower ends of which have teeth 33 detachably secured to them in any suitable manner. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the fingers 32 extend downwardly below the cross bar 31 so that they are thus free to yield rearwardly should they come into contact with an unyielding obstruction.

The arms 27 and 28 are secured to heads 34 which are preferably circular although meshes with a gear 37 journaled between.

the adjacent head 34 and a guide strip 38 which is secured to and extends laterally beyond the arm 28. As shown in Fig. 1, each guide strip 38 is extended laterally a sufiicient distance to loosely engage the inner side of the arched axle 1, thus to prevent lateral movement of the heads 34 within the arched axle. A stop block 39 is secured to each strip 38 and is recessed at its lower end so that, when the heads 34 and the arms 27 and 28 are lowered, thus bringing gears 37 into mesh with gears 3, these blocks will come into engagement with the shafts 2 and limit such downward movement of the arms 27 and 28 and the parts carried thereby so that the gears 37 and 3 will not be injured by being subjected to excessive weight.

Radiating from shaft 35 close to the heads 34 are spokes 40, these spokes being connected by cross rods 41. which are parallel with the shaft 35. Pivotally mounted on each rod 41 is an arc-uate plate 42 extending in the direction of rotation of shaft 35 and having its free edge portion connected by one or more springs 43 to the spoke or spokes adjacent the plate. These springs are so arranged as to support the plate 42 normally in a circle concentric with the shaft 35. A plurality of fingers 44 are provided at the pivot end of each plate 42, these fingers normally extending radially beyond the plate and having their free ends provided with detachable teeth 45 adapted to work close to the resilient fingers 32. During the rotation of the shaft 35 and the parts connected thereto, the fingers 44 and their teeth 45 are adapted totravel downwardly between clearing strips 46 which-are formed integral with a delivery plate 47 mounted on the cross bar 14, this plate 47 and strips 46 being curved upwardly and rearwardly, the said strips terminating close to the path of the plates 42. Each of the strips 46 is preferably trough-shaped, as indicated in Fig. 1. Any suitable braces such as shown at 48 may be provided for holding the plate 47 and strips 46 fixed relative to the posts 9. A guard plate 49 may be mounted above the strips 46 and under the seat 26 so as protect the driver from injury by the teeth 45.

A lever 50 is fulcrumed, as at 51, upon the axle 1 and a connection 52 is provided between this lever and the middle portion of the cross bar 30.- Thus it will be seen that by manipulating this lever the arms 27 and 28 together with the heads 34, shaft 35 and the parts revoluble with the shaft can be elevated, or lowered. In order that these parts may be prevented from shifting upwardly within the axle 1 while in use, a bail 53 is pivotally connected to the heads 34 and has offset portions or ears 54 adapted to be thrust under the top portion of the arched axle 1 so as thus to hold the operative parts down in place. Before these operative parts can be lifted out of engagement with the soil, it is necesary for the bail 53 to be swung out of engagement with the arched axle 1 whereupon, by pushing downwardly on the front end of lever 50, the frames made up of arms 27 and 28, and the Parts carried thereby, can be swung upwardly about the bar 14.

When the machine is drawn forward, the stone engaging and elevating parts will remain inactive until they have been lowered so as to bring gears 37 into mesh with gears 3 and to bring the stop blocks 39 into engagement with the shaft 2. As soon as the gears have thus been coupled, motion will be transmitted from the shaft 2 and through the gears to the shaft 38 so that said shaft and the parts connected thereto will be caused to rotate in the direction of the arrow indicated in Fig. 3. The teeth 33 on the spring fingers 32 will collect loose stones lying in the paths thereof and these stones will be pushed upwardly along the arcuate fingers 32 by the fingers 44 and the teeth 45 thereon. zontal positions during their upward movement, the stones gathered thereby will be After the fingers 44 reach horisupported by the plates 42 and these stones will ultimately be brought to position at the ends of the strips 46. Plates 42 will pass under and close to the inner ends of strips 46 and the stones will be scraped off of the plates 42 and travel along strips 46 to plate 47 and thence into the receptacle or body 19. Fingers 44 and teeth 45 will pass between the strips 46. After the body 19 has been filled with stones, the gathering mechanism can be elevated out of active position and the machine driven to a point where the stones are to be discharged whereupon by disengaging arm 25 from lug 23, the body 19 can be swung toward either side, thus discharging the load in the direction desired.

Should the teeth 45 strike against unyielding obstructions it will be seen that the plates 42 will swing outwardly, thus placing the springs 43 under stress. Consequently, the teeth will be free to slip over the obstructions and, after passing them, will be moved back to their initial positions by the springs 43.

hat is claimed is l. A rock collecting machine including a shaft, pivoted arcuate supporting plates revoluble with the shaft, elevating fingers extending from the plates, yielding means for holding the plates and fingers normally in predetermined positions relative to the shaft, gathering fingers concentric with the shaft, and means for removing articles from the plates and the elevating fingers.

2. A rock collecting machine including a shaft, pivoted arcuate supporting plates revoluble with the shaft, elevating fingers extending from the plates, yielding means for holding the plates and fingers normally in predetermined positions relative to the shaft, gathering fingers concentric with the shaft in said structure, means for raising and lowering the gathering fingers, a delivery plate, and clearing strips extending from the plate and between the paths of the elevating fingers.

3. A rock collecting machine including a shaft, elevating fingers revoluble with the shaft, supporting plates movable with the elevating lingers, yielding means for bolding said plates and elevating fingers normally in predetermined positions relative to each other, gathering fingers concentric with the shaft, means for raising and lowering the gathering fingers and shaft, and means for removing objects from the supporting plate and elevating fingers, said means including an inclined plate and parallel channeled strips extending from the plate and close to the path of the arcuate supporting plates.

4. The combination with a wheel supported structure and a body carried thereby, of arcuate gathering fingers, revoluble series of elevating fingers, supporting means movable with said elevating fingers, yielding means for holding said supporting means and elevating fingers normally in predetermined positions relative to each other, means operated by the supporting wheels for rotating said elevating fingers, and means for directing objects from said elevating fingers and the supporting means into the body.

5. The combination with an arched axle, supporting wheels, and shafts driven by the respective supporting wheels, of a structure mounted to swing vertically within the arched axle, a shaft journaled in said structure, means for operatively connecting the shafts when said structure is lowered and for disconnecting them when the structure is raised, pivoted arcuate supporting plates revoluble with the shaft in said structure, elevating fingers extending from the plates, yielding means for holding the plates and fingers normally in predetermined positions relative to the shaft, gathering fingers concentric with the shaft in said structure, said fingers being carried by the structure, and means movable with said structure for removing articles from the plates and the elevating fingers.

6. The combination with an arched axle, supporting wheels, and shafts driven by the respective supporting wheels, of a structure mounted to swing vertically within the arched axle, a shaft journaled in said structure, means for operatively connecting the shafts when said structure is lowered and for disconnecting them when the structure is raised, pivoted arcuate supporting plates revoluble with the shaft in said structure, elevating fingers extending from the plates, yielding means for holding the plates and fingers normally in predetermined positions relative to the shaft, gathering fingers concentric with the shaft in said structure, said fingers being carried by the structure, and means cooperating with the arched axle for holding said structure against upward movement relative to the axle.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALVIN GREEN BRAY.

Witnesses:

SAM B. HEARN, J. L. J OHNS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

